Your Love is Where I'm Falling
by enchanteelittledarling
Summary: Dani invites Santana over to her place for a change. What will the night bring for the new couple? Dantana fluff that takes place not long after the events of 5x02.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Santana and Dani were the last ones left in the diner. It was almost closing time, and Santana couldn't wait to get out of there. She hadn't had the greatest day at work, having to deal with several customers that nearly made her lose her temper.

For example, the lady who refused to accept that they were out of Caesar salad. Santana had to grit her teeth and smile sweetly to stop her bitchy alter-ego, Snix, from escaping and giving the woman a piece of her mind.

She sighed as she finished wiping down the last spots of grease on the countertop. Once she was done, she threw the rag of cloth down triumphantly. She walked over to the sink to wash up, just about to turn the tap on, when she felt someone lightly nudge her shoulder.

"Almost done there?" a familiar voice said.

Santana looked up to see her girlfriend Dani standing behind her. She smiled.

"I - uh, yeah! Just cleaning up." Santana quickly answered, caught off guard.

She turned the tap and put her hands under the water, washing the day's worth of grease and grime down the drain. Dani watched her, then spoke up.

"I think I'm just gonna go back to my apartment tonight... want to come home with me?"

Santana had to process Dani's words for a moment.

"You mean - inside?"

She mentally facepalmed at her answer. _Of course that's what she means, you idiot!_

Dani laughed.

"Yeah, you know... I thought my _girlfriend_," - she emphasized the word, making Santana blush - "might want to check out my place for a change."

Santana grabbed a nearby towel to dry her hands off with, trying to remain calm. Dani had a habit of making her flustered.

"Yeah, I - I'd like that."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Santana.

"So wait, is this like our first official date then? As girlfriends, I mean?"

"Do you want it to be?" Dani questioned, playfully raising an eyebrow at the Latina.

"Yeah, I do," Santana replied. Her dark brown eyes met Dani's hazel ones, and she felt her heart racing.

"Well, then I guess we have a date," said Dani.

She gave Santana a coquettish smile.

"I just need to grab my guitar and then we're good to go!"

Santana watched as Dani walked over to the corner by the window of the diner. The blonde girl gently picked up the guitar, hoisting the strap over her left shoulder.

"Ready?" she called.

Santana nodded.

"What are you waiting for then? Let's go!"

Dani confidently strode across the empty diner, Santana following close behind.

"So I finally get to see where you go home to, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Yeah, I guess you do," Dani replied casually. "Don't expect too much though, it's not nearly as fancy as the loft."

She laughed.

"After you," she said, giving a mock curtsy as she held the door open for Santana.

Santana felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Once the two girls had exited the diner, Dani entwined Santana's fingers in hers. A smile made its way across Santana's face. Even though she wasn't typically the biggest fan of physical affection, she had grown accustomed to Dani's loving nature. The blonde was gentle and sweet, and the phrase "personal bubble" didn't seem to exist in her world. At least, not when it came to Santana.

As they walked down the quiet street, chatting about the day - Dani had been stuck in the back room on potato peeling duty for much of her shift - Santana tried to picture what Dani's home might be like. Her heart sped up when they reached the front steps. She thought back to their first kiss just a few days ago, smiling at the memory. Even though it had been just a quick peck on the lips, the memory constantly replayed itself in her head, making her feel overcome with a warm feeling. She hadn't felt like this in a long time, not since she'd first come to New York.

Dani fished into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a ring of keys. The key itself was plain, but various keychains hung from the loop. Santana couldn't see what they were, but she made a mental note to ask Dani about them later. She was interested in even the most trivial things about the blonde's life. There was just something about Dani that she found innately fascinating.

Santana took a deep breath as she watched her girlfriend turn the key, unlocking the door. She wondered if the inside of the house would be anything like what she had pictured. Dani pulled on the handle, slowly opening the door. Santana stepped inside, eyes widening as she tried to take it all in.

Dani's house was quite a bit bigger than the loft, and moderately upscale, but it didn't feel cold and unwelcoming despite its size. In fact, the house had a comfortable feeling to it. The furniture was somewhat minimal - and not nearly as lavish as that of the loft - but it suited Dani. After all, Santana wouldn't have thought the girl who got up and left her home, taking only her guitar with her, to be the sort who would put an excessive amount into interior design.

The floor was covered with a thick tan carpet, and there were various pieces of art that looked as if they had been purchased from a street vendor adorning the light yellow walls. A television set was positioned on a little table in front of a worn-down leather couch. In the corner of the room closest to the window, there was a sofa bed with a patchwork quilt over top. Santana realized that Dani must have put it there so that she could watch the sun rise every morning - just like she did at the diner.

"Like I said, it's not much but I make do," she said, shrugging nonchalantly. "So, what do you think?"

"It really suits you," Santana remarked. "I like it."

Dani smiled, relieved. Truthfully, she had been a little unsure about what her girlfriend would think of her home. She hadn't really invited anyone inside before - it was just her private space. But she really liked Santana, so she wanted to let her into her world.

"Thanks! I hoped you'd like it."

Dani noticed how Santana seemed to be unsure of what to do. The Latina stood awkwardly by the front entrance, her eyes darting from place to place.

"What are you standing there for? Come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing Santana's hand and leading her over to the couch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Santana was taken aback by Dani's sudden gesture. She was used to being the one who led the charge, so to have someone else fill that role was entirely new to her. Wondering what Dani had in store, Santana allowed the blonde to guide her over to the worn leather couch.

Her palms were sweating slightly, but she hoped Dani didn't notice. It wasn't that she was nervous, exactly - well, maybe she was. Even though she'd never admit it to anyone. She felt like she had to relearn how it felt to be with a girl all over again.

Once they reached the couch, Dani let go of Santana's hand. She lifted the strap of her guitar off her shoulder, gently placing the instrument on the floor. The two girls fell onto the couch into a comfortable position, bodies pressed against one another.

"I thought since this is our first official date and all, we should get to know each other a little better."

Dani rested her head on Santana's shoulder.

Santana turned to face her girlfriend.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she replied, giving a small smile.

"So! You start first. What do you want to know about me?" Dani asked.

Santana was surprised. She had expected Dani to ask her something about herself first. But then again, this was Dani she was talking about. She always managed to surprise her.

Santana glanced down, and her eyes landed on Dani's tattoo. She gently traced her fingers over it.

"This," she said softly. "What does your tattoo mean?"

A wistful look came over Dani's face.

"Freedom." the blonde answered. "I got it not long after I moved here, after I made the decision to be who I always was - not who everyone else thought I should be. Once I decided to follow my heart, I felt more free than I'd ever been."

Santana nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I totally get that." she said. "Before I accepted who I was," - she took a deep breath, " - that I'm a lesbian… every day just seemed like a war with myself. A war I could never win, no matter how hard I fought."

Dani sensed that this wasn't something the Latina often shared with people.

"Go on," she gently urged, listening intently.

"It took some time, but once I stopped being in denial of my feelings, I felt like I didn't have to hide from the world any more. I could just be me."

Santana hadn't intended to let her guard down as much as she had, but there was something about being with Dani that made her feel safe.

"So why a whole of birds? Why not just one?"

Dani gave a small shrug.

"Well, I could come up with some kind of deep, meaningful answer…but the truth is, I just thought it looked cool."

Santana laughed.

"Ok, your turn. What's something you want to know about me?"

Dani contemplated this for a few seconds before deciding what to ask.

"So what brought you to New York?

"I needed to get away from Lima, start over somewhere new and try to make a name for myself. I had always wanted to be a performer, but I was too scared to pursue my dreams."

"What changed?"

"I guess I realized that anything was possible. My friends Rachel and Kurt," - she still sometimes found it a little strange to consider them friends - "moved to New York at the beginning of the year. I had to come and knock some sense into Berry - I mean, Rachel - when she was going to bare it all for some cheap little student film.

"You mean… Rachel was gonna have a nude scene?" Dani's eyes widened. She could never have pictured Rachel agreeing to something like that.

"Yup, our very own Rachel Berry. She thought it would "get her name out there" or something ridiculous like that."

"Oh, it would get her name out there all right."

Santana snorted.

"Thankfully, me and my homegirl Q talked her out of it."

She couldn't help but smile smugly when she thought back to the last time she'd seen Quinn.

Dani noticed the sudden change in Santana's expression and sat up.

"Who's this Q? Is she someone I should be worried about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I thought we were taking turns asking questions!" Santana retorted.

"Fine. But now I know what my next question's going to be," Dani replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Santana blushed and continued on with her story. She snuggled closer into Dani's side.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Anyways, when I came and visited, the city felt like home to me. And I thought, why couldn't it be my home? I didn't want to go back to my boring life. So one day I just showed up at the loft and moved in with Rachel and Lady Hummel!"

"So you just… showed up at their doorstep?"

"Yup, with a suitcase and everything."

"And they were okay with that?"

"Well, not at first." Santana admitted. "But I slowly won them over with my awesomeness and snark, and now I'm here to stay! Okay…where did you grow up?"

"Well, I grew up in Long Island. But I came here for a fresh start."

"So you're a born and raised New Yorker, then?

"Exactly. It's my turn!" announced Dani.

Santana rolled her eyes and braced herself for Dani's question, fully expecting what was coming next.

"So, who's this Q you mentioned earlier? An ex-girlfriend?"

"We have a… complicated history." Santana answered slowly.

"Oh?"

"Q's - Quinn's - one of my best friends, even though we used to kind of be rivals. Your typical pretty, blonde, all-American girl. She was the captain of our cheerleading team, the Cheerios, until she got knocked up. Pretty ironic since she was the president of the celibacy club and all. We've always had kind of a love - hate relationship with each other, and after our glee club teacher's wedding reception…"

Her voice trailed off.

"What happened? You know you can't get this far into the story and leave out the juiciest part, San!"

Santana blushed at Dani's use of the nickname. There was no way out of this one, she realized.

"We kind of hooked up in the hotel room," she mumbled.

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"We kind of hooked up in the hotel room," she repeated, just loud enough for Dani to hear.

"Oh. My. God."

"Twice.

Dani opened her mouth to speak, but Santana put a finger to her lips, shushing her.

"It's a long story…don't ask." she quickly said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "It was just a one-time, well, two-time thing anyway."

There was an uncomfortably awkward silence.

Suddenly, Dani got up from the couch.

"Where are you going?"

Dani picked up her guitar, and carried it over with her. She sat back down beside Santana.

"I have something I want to show you," Dani said, smiling.


End file.
